"The security department?" Xu Xiaoyou's brow twitched.
Seeing the girl look at her chest, she instinctively glanced down, her eyes sweeping over the ID card pinned there.
Name: Xu Nian.
Department: Security.
Employee Grade: A.
She was somewhat surprised. Judging by the photo on Xu Nian's ID card, the man looked quite frail—thin, with a feminine complexion, even appearing a bit sickly. A guy like that had actually been assigned to the branch office's security department?
And with an A-grade employee rank, it didn't seem like a low-level position.
This wasn't exactly good news for Xu Xiaoyou.
In this city, plastic surgery had long since evolved beyond simple facial corrections. Double eyelid surgery, bone shaving, and nose jobs were child's play; high-level professional beauticians could directly swap your face or even change your gender.
It was perfectly normal for a wanted criminal or a thug being hunted by gangs to go to a beautician to 'turn over a new leaf.' Getting a new face and taking the ID card of some poor soul who hadn't been declared dead yet to start a new life was a common occurrence. Consequently, beauticians usually held high social status in the city and were favored by most gangs.
Therefore, Xu Xiaoyou was never worried about her face or voice differing from Xu Nian's. Her only concern was running into one of Xu Nian's acquaintances at the company.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
Xu Xiaoyou noticed that the girl's attitude toward her had shifted. Perhaps there had been a hint of admiration before due to her veela traits, but now, only reverence remained.
"My name is Aphrah. I'm from the design department. It's actually quite close to the floor where your department is located, Senior Xu Nian."
From the moment she learned which department Xu Xiaoyou was in, Aphrah had seemed somewhat restless.
She was picking at her fingers—a common habit of people feeling anxious.
Xu Xiaoyou took all of this in but remained silent, quietly observing.
Just then, the elevator arrived. Aphrah hurriedly bid her farewell, kept her head down, and sped away at a light jog.
This security department was definitely not as simple as she had previously thought. At least, it wasn't the same as those bear-men standing guard in shifts downstairs. Otherwise, the girl wouldn't have had such a drastic change in attitude after finding out.
Stepping out of the elevator, she walked down a long corridor, following the signs toward her assigned department.
Xu Xiaoyou kept her heart calm. A coin flipped across her fingertips, moving from her thumb to her pinky and back again.
This was a habit she had when she felt uneasy. Just like the girl picking her fingers, it was a form of psychological self-suggestion.
She told herself that as long as she completed the coin flip, her anxiety and unease would be relieved, preventing her from showing more flaws.
While it sounded somewhat unrealistic, Xu Xiaoyou had verified the effectiveness of this self-suggestion over time.
The advantage humans had over other races was resilience.
Resilience in all aspects,
Especially in terms of emotional self-regulation.
Thinking this, Xu Xiaoyou scanned her surroundings.
There were many storefronts along the corridor: bubble tea shops, restaurants, a library, clothing stores, a cinema, and even a parent-child themed playground.
In the playground, she could see several female employees with their children, playing together in a plastic ball pit.
The space inside the Universal Tower was much larger than she had imagined.
She used to be skeptical of a certain rumor.
The rumor that once someone was employed by Universal Heavy Industries, they would never step foot outside the company gates for the rest of their lives.
While that might be an exaggeration, it now seemed the rumor wasn't entirely baseless.
With complete infrastructure and network coverage throughout the building, all daily needs could be met within the company. Employees lived in harmony, no longer having to worry about public safety or pollution.
If they also solved the issue of daily hygiene, this place was practically a man-made paradise for people from the Corrupt Hive City.
From that perspective, staying in a place like this for a lifetime didn't seem too bad.
But...
Only a trapped beast would contentedly remain in a cage built by others.
Xu Xiaoyou looked up. Seeing the C11 marker above, she paused before the door for a moment, adjusted her facial expression to look 'easy to get along with,' and then pushed the door open.
On the first day of the job, it was important to leave a good impression on one's colleagues.
"Urrraaaaaaagh!"
A burly man with a bare torso roared, his muscles twitching and surging like mountains rising from the earth as he slowly pushed a 130kg barbell upward.
"Another one! Don't stop!"
A man beside him shouted excitedly, his arms as thick as a bull's, holding a dumbbell the size of a human head. His chest muscles were taut like surging waves!
"Are you a soft little lamb? You're not allowed to stop now!"
A bald muscle-head howled, hot breath huffing out, sweat steaming off his body.
"If you stop like this, can you even call yourself a man?"
"Mama said I'm the strongest man in the world!"
Xu Xiaoyou silently closed the door.
When she came to her senses, the expression on her young face was more solemn than ever before.
Did I...
Walk into the wrong place?
What kind of hellscape is this?
Was that a gym just now?
What was with that group of glistening, fresh-looking muscle-heads?
What are these muscle bros even trying to do?
It must be a hallucination. It has to be.
Xu Xiaoyou pushed the door open again.
"Ah~!"
"The last one... is out."
Finally, someone noticed the girl standing in the corner looking confused. One of the bald burly men stood up to greet her:
"Yo, a newcomer? Sorry about that. I didn't mean for you to see our passionate side the moment you walked in. You weren't scared, were you?"
Xu Xiaoyou discreetly dodged the man's overly familiar hand as it reached for her shoulder.
The way these muscle-heads greeted people... she didn't even want to imagine what would happen if the real Xu Nian were here. With his frail little body, his sphincter would probably be clenched tight facing these giants.
She took a deep breath to settle her mind and didn't respond to the bald man.
Appropriate silence was often a good choice.
"A newcomer? Say hi, kid. How about an introduction?" someone joked.
"Why do you look so frail? Like you'd fall over if the wind blew. Malnutrition?"
"Looks like a girl. Remember when Andrew first got here? He was all pale and thin back then too, didn't even reach my waist."
"Stop it!" A two-meter-tall muscle man stood up, his tone sounding a bit bashful. "What are you talking about? I'm not like I used to be, okay?"
"Newcomer, come pump some iron. Once you pump some iron, you'll transform into a real man!"
The group laughed and joked until the bald man stepped forward again:
"Alright, stop teasing the newcomer. Don't scare him away. The security department is short-staffed as it is."
The laughter died down, though Xu Xiaoyou's face was turning dark.
Is it really okay for me to be in this place?
Seeing her like that, the bald man didn't mind much:
"Look at that tiny frame of yours. Seriously, why would the company transfer you to the security department, and to Group C of all places? Follow me for now."
The burly man spoke to himself as he walked deeper into the department. Xu Xiaoyou followed quickly.
They passed through a dim corridor. The figures behind them were gradually swallowed by the darkness, the noise faded, and the environment became quiet. Only the crisp sound of their footsteps remained in the silent dark.
A few potted plants were placed along the sides of the walkway. Their leaves were tender and green, about waist-high—common office plants that looked quite elegant.
"You're quite early, newcomer. I heard a batch of rookies would arrive at the security department today, but they aren't expected until this afternoon. You're lucky to have such a gentle and considerate senior like me to show you the ropes."
The bald man tried to make conversation, but seeing the girl behind him keeping a stiff, silent face, he stopped trying to entertain himself.
"What a shame. You've got such a clean face, but you're a real quiet one..."
The two finally reached an area that looked like a regular office. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, illuminating the silhouette of a girl tinkering with something at a workbench.
"Yo, Glos. A newcomer is here. Come and take over."
Rate on N.U.
